


Eclipse

by Agora500



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Ambitious Azula, Eventual Katara/Zuko (Avatar), F/M, Fire Lord Zuko, Order of the White Lotus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-10 09:36:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17423396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agora500/pseuds/Agora500
Summary: Zuko becomes the Firelord after Ozai's demise during the day of black sun simultaneously Katara ends up captured by the Fire Nation.





	1. Setting the Scene

Lightning zapped through the air with a powerful sound. Something akin to an explosion and then the unmistakable screech of electric energy sizzling its way through the air. The bright light from the intense beam nearly blinded the young prince who realised far too late that he had been tricked into staying longer than he should have. The eclipse was over and the deadly energy escaping from the Firelord's hands was now bearing down on him with deadly intent. A vision of his uncle came to him in the split second that existed between the lightning's generation and its promised deadly contact with the prince. His uncle was teaching him how to redirect lightning, how to save himself from this very situation. Feeling confidence that had been mostly alien to him since his banishment he allowed his instincts to take over. Zuko shot his hand forward to meet the bolt of energy surging toward him. When the energy met his outstretched fingers it did so with a force that knocked the prince back a little, robbing him of his breath for a moment. His uncle's words replaying in his head:

"You do not control lightning, you are its humble guide" taking the advice he does not seek to change its direction completely. He merely nudges the energy slightly to his left so that it does not make contact with his torso. He allows the electricity to lead him as he manipulates it into a vaguely circular motion, pulling on it only slightly so as to use its own momentum to point it back towards whence it came. Only when the lighting was pointed back, only when of its own fruition it wanted to surge out of him and towards his father did let go of it. He felt the energy leave him in a swift motion, pulling him slightly forward with it as he felt the raw power of nature's furry fire back towards his foe. His farther's face took on many emotions in those few seconds as he steered his attack back towards the man who had been the cause of so much of his pain. Gleeful triumph, confusion, furry, realisation and for the briefest moment before the lighting made contact with his body Zuko swore he saw fear. The lightning sent him flying backwards like a rag doll. His limbs began to straighten and move in unnatural and jagged motions as if they were obeying the lighting instead of his brain. Then, after the sounds of electricity dissipated from the room, Zuko was left alone. What was once his farther now immobile on the floor. 

Zuko wasn't sure how long he spent staring at the corps before him. Time seemed to still to the point that he could not differentiate hours from minutes. At some point the praetorian guard renter the chamber to look upon the sight which so captivated the young Zuko. There were some shocked gasps, there was some shouting and some of the guards looked nervously between the body and the prince. Zuko realised the position he was in and very quickly retook a fighting stance as he waited for the guard to attack him, to avenge his father's death. Yet nothing happened. 

Zuko let the confusion settle on his face, unfortunately, the praetorian guard wore masks that gave nothing away of their composition. After a tense moment, one of them lowered himself to one knee bowing his head toward the prince.

"Hail, Firelord Zuko" he stated, it was a bit unsure and just barely loud enough for the prince to hear. Suddenly as if awoken to the realisation the other guards joined him in bowing with desperate haste which reminded Zuko of children who had forgotten their manners and were quickly attempting to right themselves in order to avoid the punishment of their parents.

"Hail, Firelord Zuko" this time they said it more sternly and in unison. Taking time to process the situation Zuko stood staring at the guard. They began to shift nervously under his gaze as he allowed the silence in the room to fester. Realising that he was supposed to relieve the tension in the room Zuko began to come back to his senses. 

"Take the body away then your dismissed" he orders, his voice sounds more nervous and unsure than authoritative and he mentally kicks himself for it. There is no movement for a moment but then two of the guards get up and quickly pick up his father's lifeless corpse from the floor. After no time at all Zuko is left alone in the Firelord's bunker. His bunker. 

\---

Katara silently cursed herself as she began to become surrounded by fire benders. They had come out of nowhere right when the eclipse ended and were attempting to encircle the invading force.

"Go on I will hold them off get the men back to the beach" she had yelled to Bato. He had protested and so had her father but she was having none of it. After giving him her injured father she began to place herself in between the new onslaught and the retreating army. She was the only master bender on the field, she had reasoned, she could hold them off. She realised now that she had been cocky. Surrounded on all sides a relentless torrent of fire came from every direction. She bent the water around her into a shield wall defending herself but the attacks were too relentless to give her time to go on the defensive. The fire pinning her down and slowly turning her defence into vapour.

"Shit" she cursed aloud. At some point as the water wall became thinner and she became more and more fatigued she failed to block an attack which struck her left side. The burning sensation was excruciatingly painful as she practically felt the skin underneath the blast zone melt away from her flesh. The pain was mercifully short-lived as the same shot sent her falling to the ground with a thud that knocked her out cold. 

Katara awoke sometime later in a bed, she found it surprisingly comfortable as her weight seemed to sink into the soft mattress giving her the feeling of weightlessness. The sheets above her were softer than anything she had ever felt and yet so light that she could have been sleeping without them. Behind her head was an array of soft pillows of varying shapes and positions, each one was something between bright pink and crimson red. The room around her stuck with the theme, the walls were painted with a crimson red interrupted by a golden pattern which decorated the room in wavy lines. The floor was made of a dark spruce wood lacquered so that it shone in the light of the sun which was currently pouring through one of the windows behind the bed. 

Katara made a move to get up but instantly regretted the move. The room spun around her and her left side protested with a powerful stinging pain. She fell back on the soft bed with a groan feeling very content to remain in her comfortable surroundings and ignore the obvious injury as long as possible. At that moment she heard a voice, one which addressed her and filled her instantly with dread and no small amount of fear. 

"So your finally awake are you?" Azula's voice rung in her ears like a bad dream, sending a shiver down her spine and causing her breath to become caught in her throat with an awful sound. Katara remained silent until she heard the fire princess's steady footsteps take her into Katara's view. "You should learn to answer me when I speak to you peasant" being called a peasant suddenly awoke some defiance in her. Thankful for the sensation she latched onto it, momentarily losing her fear for the fire bender above her. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. How am I supposed to address you? Your royal highness? Your majesty perhaps?" Her defiant tone did not sit well with the princes as she saw a blue flame rise from one of her fists for a split second. Her face portraying a powerfully nasty scowl. Fearing the worst Katara closed her eyes waiting for the feel of flames to burn her flesh but the pain never came. When she dared open them again she found the princess breathing heavily with closed eyes as she tried to regain her composure. After a moment she looks her dead in the eye with her own sinister yellow orbs.

"In that bowl next to your bed is some water, use it to heal yourself then put it back." Katara looked sceptical. Why on earth would Azula give her water? "Don't try anything, if you do you'll regret it." her warning was a serious threat and again fear crept into her chest. She found it difficult to go toe to toe with Azula on the best of days but with her now at Azula's mercy, on the bed injured, it would be useless to try and escape. After a brief moment of hesitation, she moves to coax the water out of the bowl next to her bed. The movement again ignites the powerful pain in her left side. Taking that as encouragement she moves the water over her burn and allows the water to begin healing her. The cool of it is soothing as she feels the flesh knit itself back together under the bright glow of the water. Azula's eyes remain on alert the whole time she does this. When she is finished she moves the water back into the bowl as she is instructed. She attempted again to get up. She groans to have left the comfort of the bed and from remaining lightheadedness but the pain from her side had disappeared making it bearable to stand. Azula noticing her ability to do so took her hand and dragged her toward a small door in the corner of the room.

"What are you doing?" Katara begins to complain but is cut off when she is practically shoved into the room. Waiting for her is the chi-blocker that fought with Azula when she had hunted them across the Earth Kingdom. Three jabs came down on her with wicked speed before she could react properly. She was not robbed of her mobility but she could feel her chi struggling to flow in her being.

"She won't be able to bend for the rest of the day but I will need to see her again at sunset if you want to keep her bending away." She spoke to Azula in her usual upbeat, girly tone.

"Good job Ty-Lee." The cheerful, energetic girl makes a little curtsy in her bright pink outfit before skipping her way out of the room and out of sight. After she is out of earshot Azula turns to her. "This..." she gestures to the tiled room which they now both found themselves in "is your bathroom. A bathroom is where civilised people bathe, get dressed, apply some makeup and relieve themselves. I know this must be a difficult concept for a barbarian like yourself but do try to keep up." Her dismissive tone gets on Katara's nerves but she decides to bite her tongue and allow her to finish. "You will have a bath, clean out all the dirt and filth you have rolled yourself in all your life and make yourself presentable for your audience with the Firelord, which will be taking place in three hours time. The clothes you are to dress in are on the table in the corner." With that Azula seemed to be done with her and made for the exit. Ordinarily, Katara would have been outraged by the insults that she was forced to listen to, yet her mind was now distracted by Azula's revelation.

"The Firelord wants to see me..." she whispered under her breath as if she was talking to herself, her eyes making contact with the far wall as she processed the information. Despite her saying so under her breath and to no one, in particular, Azula heard her and she was never one to pass up an opportunity for mischief. 

"Oh yes, the Firelord demanded an audience with you personally. He was quite concerned when he heard you had been captured and ordered you to be moved to this room in the palace for...save keeping." A poison infected her tone as she emphasised those last two words causing the young water bender great discomfort. 

"Why does the Firelord want to see me?" Katara demanded the information from Azula with a rushed, high pitched tone that gave away her anxiety at the whole situation. 

"I don't know, perhaps he wants to thank you personally for leading that little invasion" her venomous tone began to lower to a whisper as she lent into her ear "...or perhaps, he wants something else from you. Even I have to admit, for a peasant, you do have some nice curves on you." With that Katara's heart sank, fear infecting her entire being and sending a chill down her spine. Satisfied with her work Azula exits the room leaving Katara alone with her frightful imagination.


	2. The Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the positive feed back. I decided to let this rest for a while to see what kind of reaction (if any) this created and I was amazed! I also felt a little guilty since I hadn't continued this and I saw some people bookmarked it, obviously expecting more. So I decided to release chapter 2 ASAP. It is shot but enjoy.

Time passed slowly for the water bender as she began to ready herself for the frightful meeting. For a while, Katara had considered being defiant and refusing to do as she was told. However, she quickly abandoned that idea as she eyed the tempting promise of a hot bath with real soaps, a rare luxury for a water bender on the run. Drawing the bath and placing herself in it she began to wash away the grime and dirt that she had accumulated over the last few weeks of her travels. 

The water was a divine temperature that helped her to relax and forget about her fate if only for a few blissful seconds. The fire nation had an image of the southern water tribe. To them, the pole was a place of barbarians, filthy brutes with no sense of self-worth or hygiene. She was not going to prove them right by showing up a dirty, smelly mess. After a long while as the water began to cool to an uncomfortable level Katara raised herself from the tub and made a motion to dry herself with her bending. This achieved nothing, reminding her over her currently "disarmed" state. She let out a loud, irritable sigh before pulling a towel from the rack to her left and drying herself manually. She had forgotten how tedious the motions of drying were and although she was only at it for a few minutes the time ticked by so slowly she could have sworn it had taken longer. After a while she gave up, she felt mostly dry but for a little bit of defiant moisture that clung to her body despite her best efforts. Satisfied with her work she turned to the clothes that had been laid out for her. 

The gown was immaculate, sleeveless and decorated with golden patterns. The colour was a deep fire nation red which she was not pleased about but she supposed she preferred it to the dirty clothes she had worn previously, but only bearly. The gown pulled into a long skirt that covered most of her legs before ending just before the ground. It fit perfectly making her squirm at the implication of someone measuring her while she slept. As she placed it over her skin she found it to be made of a similar material to her silk sheets. She had never felt anything so soft and light, the fabric allowed the breeze in, cooling her from the fire nation's oppressive summer heat. It was so light against her skin that she almost felt like she was naked causing her to blush a little despite herself, it didn't help that the gown clung to her upper torso before bearly covering her breast and shoulders. 

She was suddenly reminded of Azula's final comment and fear began to swell in her chest once more. Did the Firelord plan on doing something too her. She shuttered to think and renewed her mental efforts to find an escape before she would give Ozai the chance. Coming out of the bathroom she began to survey her room. It was small with two windows and two doors. One to the bathroom which she just exited and one leading to a hallway outside which she was certain was filled with guards. The windows, on the other hand, were bolted shut and on the other side barred with a golden railing. There was no escape without her bending.

She began to recline back onto the bed, dispair enveloping her for a few awful seconds before the door opened and she quickly composed herself. A fire bender guard stood there and motioned for her to follow.

"Come, the Firelord wishes to have his audience with you now!" The guard made a move to fetch her but, not wanting to be manhandled, she got up and complied with the order. The place was larger than she realised giving Katara time to think about her destined meeting as she made her way. Three fire benders stood on either side of her at all times covering her flanks and making escape impossible. Anxiety began to grow in her stomach as she was lead into a large square room. The throne room she realised quickly.

It was a mostly empty space which seemed to be made for a giant, the roof stood easily twenty meters high with red and gold pillars holding it above them, jetting out from the ground. The relatively stoic room left no room for her eyes to wonder, no detail to hold her attention from the centrepiece of the space. Highlighted by the design of this great chamber was the elevated floor in front of her, obscured from view by an enormous flaming wall that hid everything but the silhouette of the Firelord on his throne. It was a truly daunting sight that made Katara extremely uncomfortable as she became overwhelmed once more with feelings of dread and fear. Sweat clung to her body, whether from the anxiety of the meeting or the heat radiating from the display in front of her she could not say. The guards that brought her quickly excused themselves by bowing hastily and then they all but fled out the doors. When they were gone the silhouette stood and walked towards Katara, alone in the giant space, terrified.

When the flaming cloak fell it revealed a figure that Katara had not been expecting. It was Zuko! All be it an immaculately well dressed Zuko who wore an expensive looking grown and had little more hair since the last time they met in Ba Sing Se, but it was definitely him, scare and everything. Her fears and anxiety fell away almost instantly when the familiar figure appeared. Anger quickly replaced those feelings as she recalled the betrayal Zuko committed against her and her friend's in those catacombs under the Earth Kingdom city.

"Zuko" she hissed his name like an insult which caused Zuko to stop in his tracks for a moment as he eyed her cautiously. He decided to continue approaching her all be it much more slowly and deliberately. "What are you doing here? Where is your father?" she silently cursed herself for her last question as she really didn't want to meet the Firelord. Maybe Zuko was a blessing in disguise, better the devil you know after all.

"My father is dead" Zuko informed Katara, his voiced controlled and not giving away any emotion. Katara took a moment to register the news before a smile broke onto her face, one that she was unable to suppress. 'Aang must have killed him! The invasion was successful! We won! Wait... if that is true why is Azula not in prison...why was Zuko still here?' Now Katara was very confused, morbid curiosity and a desire to undo the confusion setting in her mind got the better of her as she prepares to ask the question she had been dreading to know the answer to. 

"How can the Firelord be dead?" She swallowed before continuing "if he is why would Azula say that he wanted to see me?" Her confusion elicited a laugh from Zuko who was now only a few feet from her and had stopped advancing. She didn't like that laugh, it sounded almost mocking like she had missed the joke or was the subject of it. 

"I did want to see you" realisation took hold almost immediately as she began to notice the obvious. Zuko was in regal attire, ornate robes which covered him from head to toe, decorated with jewels and golden patterns. In his hair sat a crown hair-piece and of course he had just descended from the Fire Nation's throne. 

"You're the Firelord" she stated in a bearly audible whisper to herself. Zuko looked a little amused to see her slowly piece together the rather simple puzzle which annoyed her greatly. Annoyed her enough to allow her to escape her dumbfounded disbelief. 

"What do you want with me?" her voice tainted with a bitter resolve. Her anger was only exacerbated when she saw Zuko was more amused than afraid of her wrath. 

"Tea?" Zuko gestured to the elevated floor and toward a corner of the room in which a table set for two was currently waiting for them. 

Katara was annoyed by the deflection of her question and made no move to comply. Instead, she glared at Zuko with deadly intensity. If looks could kill...

Zuko was unamused and made his way to the table with practised regal elegance. "If you don't come with me of your own free will I will have you dragged" he called back to her as he made his way up the stairs of the throne room, only half joking. Katara decided to follow after the briefest hesitation, after all, she didn't like the sound of being dragged at all.

When Zuko made it to the far end of the table he sat down. His chair was slightly larger than her's and had a pattern carved into the back which her chair was lacking. She guessed it was a royalty thing but it still annoyed her a bit. When she took the seat opposite from him Zuko's hands made a move for the teapot which sat in the middle of the table. He poured her cup first before doing the same to his own. In the middle of the table sat a series of plates each held above the other by a pole that penetrated their centres and filled with a series of admittedly delicious looking bite-sized treats. She resisted the temptation to take one but did decide to take a sip from her cup after she observed Zuko do the same.

The tea was incredibly good, tasting vaguely of a fruit mix she could not identify. The temperature of the drink was the only incentive not to skull the whole thing. When she placed the cup back onto its little saucepan plate Katara allowed herself to eye Zuko once more. Zuko evidently took the gesture as a sign to continue the conversation.

"How is your side? I was told you were burnt quite badly..." Zuko trailed off. Katara thought the question sounded genuine but she had learnt the hard way how good a liar he was.

"I was able to heal my injury. There is no residual damage, not even a scare" the jab was intentional though if Zuko minded he didn't let it show. He seemed to actually relax a little after that, allowing a tension in his back and shoulders to dissipate.

"How do you find the dress? Is it too...too your liking?" Zuko stumbled on his words a bit as if he were a little embarrassed by the subject. He looked at her in anticipation. Katara supposes that the dress must have been a gift from him. Did he expect her to thank him? Katara had to admit it was a beautiful gown though she felt foreign in it. As if she didn't belong in it. Even ignoring the fact that it was fire nation red, its soft silk against her skin felt far too upper class for a peasant girl from the southern water tribe. 

"It fits perfectly?" It was an accusation and the unspoken question was pretty obvious. She thought she saw his unmarked cheek blush a little as he considered his response. 

"I had a doctor see to you while you were unconscious. When I was made aware that you would need a wardrobe for your stay I had him take a few measurements." Katara shivered a little at the confirmation of her suspicion.

"My stay? How long am I staying Zuko? Why am I here?" Her voice raised a little as she began to feel rage fill into her stomach. Zuko despite holding all the cards in this little game visibly shrunk in his chair as he considered the girl in front of him. He was obviously nervous and sweat was beginning to form on his brow. Katara felt a brief surge of satisfaction for causing such a reaction in the mighty Fire Lord.

"You are here because I need your help..." Zuko made a pause as if predicting Katara's loud protest.

"Ah! Why on earth would I help you Fire Lord?" The way Katara said 'Fire Lord' felt like an insult to Zuko's person and this made him feel even more flustered by the situation.

"Because I want the same thing you do!" Zuko felt his counter-protest sounded a little too defensive and he swore that he heard his voice crack as he said it.

"And what is that?" Katara responded with a hint of malice that suggested to him that she wasn't planning on being reasonable about this. 

"Peace..." he let the word hang in the air for a moment allowing Katara to form a sceptical look on her face. "I want peace in the world, I want to put an end to the fighting."

"You mean you want to put an end to rebellions." Katara accused "The Fire Nation had already won the war. Ba Sing Se and Omashu have fallen and our last ditch attempt to defeat you was just thwarted by some crazy flying ships!" She ended her rant there, the fire in her belly dissipating slightly as her own words dawned on her. They had lost, hadn't they?

"I want to start a reconciliation campaign around the empire and improve the Fire Nations reputation among the other nations." Zuko clarified in a rather statesmen way.

"Why do you need my help with that?" Katara was waiting for the catch to this 'too good to be true' proposition and sure enough, it came.

"I need your help because the Avatar and the rest of your little group escaped custody on Appa. They don't know Ozai is dead and are likely planning their next move against the Fire Nation. I was hoping you would help me find them so I can explain the situation..." Zuko is cut off.

"Ha! So, Zuko, back to your old tricks. Capture the Avatar, restore your honour. Honestly, you should try something different, you sound like an obsessed parrot-eagle. Constantly repeating that same line, over and over. Also, what do you mean Aang doesn't know Ozai is dead he would have been the one to kill him right?" She allowed smugness to form a devilish smile on her face. Katara assumed that this glaring hole in his story was a result of a spontaneous and not-very-well-thought-out lie. A lie designed to get her to willingly aid Zuko into capturing her friends for him. She was not prepared for his answer. 

"Aang didn't kill Fire Lord Ozai...I did" The admission took a moment to settle in. In the deafening silence, it hit her like a ton of bricks. The way his voice deflated at the end of his confession told her that it wasn't a lie.


	3. The Letter and the War Room

Azula was not happy. She was rarely happy if she was honest with herself but at that very moment, she was livid. Her father had died, worse her father had been killed in one on one combat with Zuko! That made him Fire Lord by right of birth and combat. She had no real way of challenging the throne now, at least no way that would be seen as legitimate by the people of Caladria and the wider Fire Nation. It was not a good day.

Azula had been called to a war meeting by her brother earlier in the morning to discuss his reign's new military doctrine. It was traditional for a new Fire Lord to introduce his vision for the various branches of government and of course, the military took priority. Azula just wanted to make one stop before she made her way to the war room.

Taking a detour to one of the guest rooms where Mai was staying she knocked on the door. The woman clad in her usual dark outfit opened up immediately as if waiting by the door. Her face gave nothing away but this wasn't exactly out of the ordinary for Mai.

"You said you had something interesting to show me." Azula was not one for pleasantries and was waiting on Mai expectantly. Mai took a scroll from under her sleeve and gave it over to Azula without a word, practically shoving the parchment into her hand. "What is this?"

"I found it on my bedside table when I woke up yesterday morning. It's a letter from Zuko" her voice never left her usual monotone though Azula thought she heard an uncharacteristic strain in it.

"What's in it?" Azula was starting to get tired of this game quickly and was certainly not about to read a personal letter between her brother and her friend because Mai ordered her to. Azula didn't take orders from Mai.

"Other than stating his intention to dump me..." her voice raised a little as she lost a small amount of her composure, a rare delight for those who knew her. Still, if Mai was expecting a shoulder to cry on she should have known better than to call for Azula, perhaps she could send Ty Lee down to help Mai get over her boy troubles.

"I don't care about your relationship troubles with my brother. I thought you said there was something interesting" Azula uses her own bored tone and a few well-placed sighs to get the point across before she makes an exaggerated movement down the hallway and away from Mai's sulking.

"The sited reason is interesting..." Mai's tone has come back to uniformity as if confident again. Azula turns back around, her interest once again peaked.

"Go on..."

"He wanted to betray the Fire Nation and join the Avatar to defeat Fire Lord Ozai" Even before Mai had finished speaking a malicious grin had formed on Azula's face. She had something over the new Fire Lord now. Not enough to dethrone him yet but it was a start.

"Thank you very much, Mai. This is interesting" Azula made her exit and headed for the war room. Her mood lifted and a skip in her step. When she made it to the entrance of the war room she found everyone else already seated waiting for her. Chatter stopped as she entered, all eyes fell on her. She gave them all pointed looks as if daring them to continue staring causing most avert their eyes towards various points of the room.

"Thank you for joining us Azula" her brother's voice echoed down the room from the throne that stood over the meeting table. Zuko motioned for her to take the seat next to him. A slightly smaller throne for the heir apparent, which at least for now was her. She made a small practised bow towards the throne before taking the seat.

She noticed a new face at the meeting as she walked by. It was the water bender! She seemed very nervous seated at the table full of Fire Nation generals and was getting many pointed stares from the more high ranking officials. She occupied a seat which was reserved for honoured guests of the Fire Lord. Her posture seemed to be hugging in on itself as if she were trying to disappear into the chair. From the dumbfounded looks of many people in the room, she guessed Zuko had yet to bother explaining her presence in the room and that no one had dared to question her presence either. Least they attract the wrath of the new Fire Lord. Azula had no need to fear such things.

"What is the water tribe peasant doing here?" She heard some audible sighs of relief as many people eagerly leaned forward to hear Zuko's reply. Katara's eyes for the first time since she entered the room stopped examining the floor and landed on her. A deadly expression on her face.

"Katara is integral to my new military policy, but more on that later. I want to start this meeting now that you have finally arrived" Azula might have been impressed if she wasn't livid. Zuko had just brushed her off and casually berated her in front of a dozen of the most powerful people in the Fire Nation. Where had this new sense of confidence come from? Was he on such a power high from killing their father that he no longer considered her a threat?

"Shall we start with funeral preparations for the late Fire Lord Ozai?" One of the commanders, Xiāofáng she believed, suggested cautiously. Xiāofáng eyed the two Fire Nation royals with care waiting to see if either of them had a negative reaction to the proposal. She now wondered how she actually felt about her father's death at the hands of her brother. She had been so caught up with the ramifications the situation had on her political ambitions that she hadn't really stopped to mourn their father. For some reason, her father's actual absence didn't bother her. It bothered her that it didn't bother her. Wasn't she supposed to be upset?

"A full state funeral with military honours, I will leave all preparations in the capable hands of the government" Zuko was obviously uncomfortable with the subject. A scribe in the background noisily wrote the order down. "Unless you wanted some input on the matter?" the question was directed at Azula. She like Zuko didn't care for the topic and shook her head so that the room could move on to more interesting subjects.

"Then we should continue with the briefing, we got news yesterday that we lost the colony of New Oazi during the eclipse" Xiāofáng let the news sink in for a moment as gasps could be heard from across the table.

"New Oazi? I wasn't aware of a colony by that name" Zuko interjects. Azula decides to make a loud, exaggerated sigh before informing her brother.

"It's what I renamed Omashu when we captured it, do try to keep up" Zuko did not look pleased causing the room to go deadly quiet for a moment. Azula lets the moment drag on by refusing to break eye contact with her brother. The tension rises as she gives Zuko one of her empty smiles before he gives in and addresses the room. A small bit of payback for his earlier remark.

"The governor of the colony is on his way back here now. Mai's father Ukano was the man Oazi appointed to rule Omashu." Zuko considered this for a moment.

"How did it happen?"

"The old king of Omashu was...not as incapacitated as we believed. The reports said that he took back the city single-handedly." Xiāofáng finished and again loud gasps were heard around the table, expressions of disbelief and disgust found their way to the faces of most men at the table. The notable exception was Katara who had developed a small grin which did not go unnoticed by the princess.

"Do you have something to say water bender?" Azula interjects over the hushed murmurs of the table. Before Katara could answer Zuko intervened.

"No, she doesn't, not yet anyway. Anything else you can tell me about the liberation of Omashu?" All eyes went to Xiāofáng who had become the de facto mouthpiece of the table by this point.

"Only that Ukano was gifted a Pai Sho set with only one piece as a parting gift by King Bumi" There were a few laughs from the table at what many assumed to be a useless piece of trivia.

"Was it a White Lotus?" Zuko's question stopped the giggling as everyone at the table leaned forward a little, obviously intrigued. Azula herself was a little curious as to why that was important.

"Yes, it was actually. Is that important?" Xiāofáng's question seemed to be on of everyone's lips eliciting a sigh from Zuko before he explained himself.

"There is an...organisation that transcends the four nations that go by the name 'White Lotus'. They use the Pi Sho board to talk with each other. Master benders from all over the world dedicated to the balance and vaguely affiliated with the Avatar. My uncle was part of this organisation, he introduced me to its existence but didn't tell me much beyond that." When Zuko finished another voice came from lower down the table.

"Master Piandao went missing a few days ago. He was a swords master who lived just outside the city. When we searched his home we found a White Lotus tile on a pedestal in his courtyard." That started a few conversations. Everyone began to comb their memories for references to the 'White Lotus' that they may have missed over the years. The revelation that this secret organisation had escaped their view for so long obviously disturbed many people in the room. Azula is the first one to interject.

"Does everyone remember Jong Jong?" She let the question rest as her voice demanded the attention of all those present.

"The fire bending master who betrayed us to go live in the Earth Kingdom forests?" Zuko probes.

"Yes, that's the one." Azula continues "I was put in charge of hunting for him for a short while. There was a Pi Sho board in his old home with the pieces arranged around a White Lotus" when Azula had finished the chatter began again with renewed intensity.

"This organisation is obviously hostile to the Fire Nation. It has turned good citizens of our nation against us like Jong Jong, Piandao and Prince Iroh. Now they have backed a successful rebellion against our rule in Omashu. They must be stopped" Xiāofáng offered this to the table with cries of agreement from all sides.

"I have no intention of stopping them" a deadly silence gripped the crowd at Zuko's revelation.

"What?" Azula's voice cut through the tension of the room like a knife. Her tone was venomous and dangerous.

"Not yet anyway. Our Uncle is with them and I intend to talk to him. I believe we can resolve this peacefully" there were some snorts of disapproval from the room as all eyes stared at Zuko in disbelief.

"Even if this...cult was interested in speaking with you. How would you find them? Surely you aren't going to invite them to the palace?" Xiāofáng's question was diplomatic all things considered.

"I am pardoning my Uncle, Jong Jong and Piandao of all crimes committed against the Fire Nation. I want this to be public knowledge so that word about my willingness to negotiate with the White Lotus can reach my Uncle's ears. For now, at least I know what their next move is. On the day of Sozin's Comet, my Uncle will attempt to lead the White Lotus to liberate Ba Sing Se. That is why I will be moving there for the next few months, I will leave Caladria in your capable hands for the time being. Only Azula and Katara will accompany me to the Earth Kingdom capital."

"What?" was the collective reply of the princess and the water bender.


End file.
